- Council aspires to be carbon neutral by 2050 Kingborough Council Climate Change Plan, 2019 – 2024 (PDF)
- We aim to show responsibility and leadership in contributing to global efforts to limit warming to 2°C
- We will provide guidance and support to facilitate the Kingborough community transitioning to a low carbon economy
Kingborough Council Monitoring and Targets
In 2017 Council undertook an audit of its energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions and used this data for comparison with 10 years prior.
The audit found that Council had undertaken significant energy management and greenhouse gas reduction initiatives. These included:
- Progressive changeover of street light to LED technology
- LED lighting changeovers at key buildings including the Civic Centre and Sports Centre
- Installation of over 100kW of solar panels on 4 Council owned buildings
- Inclusion of 2 hybrid vehicles in its light fleet
- The use of 2 electric bicycles by inspectorial staff
- Collection and flaring of landfill gas at the rehabilitated Barretta tip site
- Extensive kerbside collection of recyclables and operation of the recycling facilities at the Barretta Waste Disposal Site
- Energy data documentation and reporting for key facilities
It was highlighted in the audit report that overall Council’s greenhouse gas emissions had doubled in 10 years, primarily due to an increase in waste to landfill.
The key focal areas for progress on energy and greenhouse gas reductions were identified as:
- Waste minimisation and community education on waste reduction
- Ongoing transition of Council’s fleet to hybrid and electric vehicles
- Further roll out of solar panels at key sites
- Investigate the potential for energy generation from landfill gas and green waste at the Barretta site
- Continue the roll out of LED street lighting
- Implement a targeted program of energy efficiency upgrades to Council buildings
- Promote and facilitate community energy efficiency and alternative energy programs
- Participate in regional local government initiatives whenever possible
- Develop and implement a Kingborough Energy and Greenhouse Plan which sets targets and identifies monitoring and tracking procedures with an overall goal of zero net emissions by 2050.
Community Energy and Greenhouse Gas
In 2019 Council participated in a regional project to document community energy usage and the greenhouse gas footprint for each municipality. This project was initiated by the Regional Councils Climate Initiative (RCCI). A specific report has been received for Kingborough.
In summary the key findings for the Kingborough community were:
- Overall energy usage has decreased by 6% in the past 8 years
- However electricity usage has increased by 28% over the past 10 years (mainly due to population growth)
- Kingborough has the lowest per capita electricity usage (both residential and commercial) of councils in Southern Tasmania
- Overall greenhouse gas emissions have remained the same over the past 8 years
- Kingborough has over 2,000 rooftop solar power systems and 500 rooftop solar hot water systems
- Transport is responsible for over one third of community greenhouse gas emissions
Conclusions presented as part of the project included:
- Local energy use patterns are changing with an increase in rooftop solar systems, electric and fuel efficient vehicles and household energy efficiency initiatives
- The documentation and tracking of community energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions is a key component of attempts at targeted reductions in energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions
- Local councils have a pivotal role to play in assisting their communities to reduce energy usage, save money and reduce greenhouse gas emissions
- Key areas for the focus of attention must be on transport efficiencies and waste reduction. However, in reality, a regional and Tasmania wide approach is required to make significant progress.
Home Energy Audit Toolkits (HEAT)
Council has a number of HEAT kits that are available for the community to loan. They can be used to investigate your energy usage and to plan for practical ways to decrease energy usage and therefore reduce costs. For more information please contact us on (03) 6211 8200.
Council Vehicle Fleet
Kingborough participated in the Department of Premier and Cabinet’s Tasmanian Climate Change Office (TCCO) Smarter Fleets initiative. The final report was received late in 2018 with recommendations included relating to the transition to greater utilisation of hybrid and electric vehicles over the next 5 years.
